“It was bizarre. … One of the weird things about it was – I don’t know if you remember this – when Chris Conner walks up to Shapiro’s office, he walks up a spiral staircase. Shapiro’s office had a spiral staircase. It looked exactly like that. That was not something I put in the book. That was not something that anyone asked me. It felt eerie to me.
Author: Matthew Westphal
The Strange Afterlife Of ‘One Of Reality TV’s Biggest Train Wrecks’
“Step into Tareq Salahi’s house and you’ll pass a framed Washington Post article crowning him a 2009 Person of the Year. … Look closer, though, and you’ll see what’s changed. There’s a Real Housewives of D.C. sticker covering [ex-wife] Michaele’s face, a bronze plaque listing ‘widely unknown facts’ about the White House gatecrashing incident, and, right next to it, Salahi merchandise that Tareq sells to his Airbnb guests.”
Women Are Better At Running Theatres Than Men, Says Actress
Maxine Peake, who appears regularly at Manchester’s Royal Exchange (Sarah Frankcom, artistic director): “I just think actually women are probably better for running buildings, because they can multitask. And I think – without sounding terribly sexist, and I’m not saying across the board – they generally have a smaller ego.”
Classic Children’s Lit Can Be Surprisingly Racist
Malcolm Jones, co-author of a volume of retold Brer Rabbit stories (minus the tar baby and Uncle Remus): “The book got good reviews and sold well enough to justify two sequels. If there was any protest, it never got back to me. Still I always felt like we’d gotten away with something, even if I wasn’t sure what. Because when you take a stroll through the territory of children’s literature, you’d better know where the land mines are buried.”
Zaha Hadid Is *Not* Giving Up The Battle Over The Tokyo Olympic Stadium
“Citing rising costs that by some estimates had reached $2.5 billion, the Japanese government announced last July that it was scrapping Ms. Hadid’s plan for the 80,000-seat venue.” This did not make her happy. “Her studio has stepped up the attack in recent weeks, saying that [the replacement] design closely copied hers in significant ways, and … raised the possibility of legal action … for copyright infringement.”
Suffering For Your Art: Ballet Stars Talk About Their Injuries
Eight principal dancers – including Daria Klimentová, Steven McRae, Cynthia Harvey, James Whiteside, and Vito Mazzeo – from some of the world’s top companies talk about coping with the damage their profession inflicts on their bodies.
José Limón Dance Foundation Appoints New Artistic Director
“Colin Connor, a former soloist with Limón Dance Company who went on to a career in choreography and education, … [and will be] the first male director since Limón himself, is to take the helm of the 70-year-old modern dance company on July 1, succeeding Carla Maxwell, who has held the position since 1978.”
Olafur Eliasson Will Be Next Contemporary Artist At Versailles Palace
He’ll be following the very controversial installation last summer by Anish Kapoor, about which Eliasson said, “France has always been incredibly strong on the issue of freedom of expression. Culture is its cornerstone. The controversy surrounding Kapoor should not be given disproportionate importance.”
Custody Battle Over Picasso Bust Sees Temporary Ceasefire
“The mystery of what will happen to Picasso’s 1931 plaster bust of his mistress and muse Marie-Thérèse Walter after the Museum of Modern Art’s blockbuster show closes on Sunday has been temporarily resolved. The two parties disputing the sculpture’s ownership … both claim that they own the bust and that it was sold to them by the daughter of Picasso and Ms. Walter.”
Head Of Wilma Theater In Philly Wins $100K Award
“The $100,000 2016 Vilcek Prize in Theatre, presented to an immigrant artist with a record of major achievement, is awarded to Blanka Zizka, artistic director of the Wilma Theatre.” The Vilcek Prizes honor scientists and artists who have immigrated to the U.S. The prizes focus on a different discipline each year; among previous winners are Mike Nichols, Yo-Yo Ma, and Mikhail Baryshnikov.